Ardian Pradana

This guide will walk you through the process of installing, configuring, and using the Larris Form plugin in your WordPress site hosted on cPanel. By following these steps, you’ll be able to create custom forms and ensure reliable email delivery.

Step 1: Download the Larris Form Plugin

First, you’ll need to download the Larris Form plugin files from its GitHub repository.

• Navigate to the following URL in your web browser: https://github.com/ardiandev/larris-form
• Click on the green “Code” button.
• From the dropdown menu, select “Download ZIP”. This will download the plugin files as a .zip archive to your computer.

Step 2: Upload and Install the Plugin in WordPress

Next, you’ll upload the downloaded plugin to your WordPress dashboard.

• Log in to your WordPress admin area (usually found at yourdomain.com/wp-admin).
• In the left-hand sidebar, hover over “Plugins” and click on “Add New”.
• Click the “Upload Plugin” button at the top of the page.
• Click “Choose File” and select the larris-form-main.zip file (or similar, depending on the download) that you just downloaded from GitHub.
• Click “Install Now”.
• Once the plugin is successfully installed, click “Activate Plugin”.

Important: When uploading, make sure you are uploading the main plugin ZIP file and not the entire repository download which might contain extra directories like .github and .git. These extra files and folders are not needed for the plugin to function

Step 3: Configure Sender and User Domain Email

Now, let’s configure the “From” email address for your Larris Form submissions. It’s best practice to use a professional, domain-based email address (e.g., [email protected]).

• Navigate to the settings page for Larris Form in your WordPress dashboard. You’ll likely find it in the main menu sidebar.
• Locate the “Sender Email” field.
• Enter your desired domain-based email address (e.g., [email protected]).

Note: If you haven’t yet created a domain-based email address, you’ll need to do so within your cPanel account. Most hosting providers offer tools to create email accounts associated with your domain. You can usually find this option under “Email Accounts” in your cPanel interface. Refer to your hosting provider’s documentation for specific instructions.

Step 4: Set Up the Recipient Email Address

Here, you’ll specify where you want the form submissions to be sent. While you can use your domain-based email here, there’s a higher chance of emails landing in spam folders. For better reliability, it’s often recommended to send directly to a free email provider like Gmail or Yahoo.

• In the Larris Form settings, find the “Recipient Email” field.
• Enter the email address where you want to receive form submissions (e.g., [email protected] or [email protected]).

Enhancing Email Delivery: Sending as Your Domain from a Free Email Account

To further enhance your professional image and potentially improve email deliverability, you can configure your free email account (like Gmail or Yahoo) to send emails as if they are coming from your domain-based email address (e.g., [email protected]). This means when you reply to a form submission in your Gmail, your recipient will see your domain-based email.

If you’d like to learn how to set this up, you can usually find tutorials by searching for “[Your Email Provider Name] send as alias” (e.g., “Gmail send as alias”). This typically involves adding your domain-based email address to your free email account and verifying it.

Step 5: Install an SMTP Plugin for Reliable Email Sending

To ensure your Larris Form can reliably send emails, especially to external addresses, it’s highly recommended to configure an SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) plugin. We recommend using WP Mail SMTP by WPForms.

• In your WordPress dashboard, navigate to “Plugins” > “Add New”.
• In the search bar, type “WP Mail SMTP”.
• Locate the plugin by WPForms and click “Install Now”.
• Once installed, click “Activate”.

You can also download the plugin directly from the WordPress Plugin Directory: https://wordpress.org/plugins/wp-mail-smtp/ and upload it manually as described in Step 2.

Step 6: Configure WP Mail SMTP with Brevo (Recommended)

WP Mail SMTP supports various mail services, and we recommend using Brevo (formerly Sendinblue) for its ease of setup and reliable free tier.

• After activating WP Mail SMTP, you’ll likely see a setup wizard. You can also navigate to “WP Mail SMTP” in your WordPress sidebar and click on “Settings”.
• Follow the wizard or manually configure the settings. When prompted for the “Mailer,” choose “Brevo”.
• You will need to create a free Brevo account (if you don’t already have one) at https://www.brevo.com/.
• Once you have a Brevo account, you’ll need to obtain an API key. You can usually find this in your Brevo account settings under “SMTP & API”.
• Enter the API key into the designated field in the WP Mail SMTP settings.
• Configure the “From Email” to be the same domain-based email you set in the Larris Form settings (e.g., [email protected]).
• You can also configure the “From Name”.
• Save your WP Mail SMTP settings.

Step 7: Update Your Domain’s DNS Records with Brevo

To authorize Brevo to send emails on behalf of your domain and improve deliverability, you’ll need to add specific DNS records to your domain’s DNS settings.

• Log in to your cPanel account.
• Navigate to the “DNS Zone Editor” or a similar DNS management tool. The exact name might vary depending on your hosting provider.
• You will need to add at least two types of DNS records provided by Brevo: TXT records for SPF (Sender Policy Framework) and DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail). Brevo might also recommend a DMARC record for enhanced security.
• Refer to Brevo’s documentation for the exact DNS records you need to add for your account. They usually provide clear instructions.
• Add the specified TXT records (and potentially a CNAME record for DKIM, depending on Brevo’s instructions) to your domain’s DNS zone. Important: DNS changes can take some time to propagate across the internet (usually a few hours, but sometimes up to 24-48 hours).

Step 8: Start Using Larris Form

Congratulations! You’ve now successfully installed and configured the Larris Form plugin with reliable email delivery through WP Mail SMTP and Brevo.

• To create a new form or embed an existing one, navigate to any WordPress Page or Post where you want to add the form.
• Click the “+” icon to add a new block.
• Search for “Larris Form” in the block list.
• Select the “Larris Form” block.
• The plugin will likely provide options within the block settings to customize your form. Follow the plugin’s specific instructions on how to add fields and configure your form.

Now you can start building and using custom forms on your WordPress website with confidence that your submissions will be delivered reliably! Remember to test your forms thoroughly after setup to ensure everything is working as expected.